Drowned
by Gypsy Love
Summary: Ponyboy is drowned that night in the fountain, and an unlikely one gets revenge.
1. Chapter 1

I don't know what woke me up, probably just it being so cold. I was shivering, and I realized that Pony was still next to me. I blinked, wondering what time it was. It didn't matter for me. My parents didn't care if I stayed out all night, and they probably wouldn't even notice. But Darry would be pissed at Ponyboy for being out so late. He'd be all worried and wanting to call the cops but he wouldn't cause Pony and Soda might get sent away.

"Ponyboy, wake up," I said, shaking him. He didn't wake up too easily, but he did wake up, looking at me like he didn't know who I was or where he was.

"What time is it?" he said.

"I don't know, I fell asleep, too, listening to you rattle on and on like that. You better get home, alright? I'm gonna stay all night out here, who'll care anyway?" I said to him, curling up and shrinking down into my jean jacket. God, I was cold.

"Yeah, alright. If you get cold come on over to our house," he said, taking off. I wanted to go with him but I didn't cause I knew Darry was gonna yell at him, and who knew? He might get whipped over this. I didn't want to be there for that. It was bad enough at my house.

It was too cold out here, I couldn't sleep. My teeth wouldn't stop chattering. So I got up and headed to my house, hoping my parents were just passed out in there. Maybe they were. It was late enough. I cracked the door open and crept inside, but I wasn't lucky.

"Johnny?" It was my old man, and I just shrunk against the wall and waited to be hit. I should have just slept outside, maybe I would have froze to death. My old man did what he usually did, which was grab my arm so I couldn't get away, and I felt the punches like I had so many times before. After awhile I just kind of went somewhere else in my head, I separated my mind from my body. That's what saved me when those socs were beating me half to death that time in the lot. I just separated myself from it. Then it was over, my old man stumbled away, and I staggered to my feet, feeling drunk, too. I felt that dull ache from being hit so many times, that funny feeling after a beating that makes me feel so tired, almost drugged.

I went to my room and passed out asleep on my bed, and at least I was warm.

"Johnny?" It was hours later, it was daylight now, and I knew my parents were passed out somewhere. Someone was gently shaking me. I opened my eyes and saw Two-bit, his face serious for once.

"What?" I sat up, feeling alarmed. Why was he here, waking me up? What was it?

"Listen, something terrible happened," He looked shocked, his eyes dull. I narrowed my eyes at him, not wanting to know what terrible thing happened now.

"What happened?" I said, digging around for a cigarette, listening for my parents to come bursting in here, but they wouldn't.

"Ponyboy, the socs…uh, last night…" I just looked at him, waiting for him to string together enough words for me to know what he was talking about.

"The socs drowned Ponyboy last night, they killed him," My mouth dropped open and I just stared at him. Killed him? It was having a hard time making sense to me. Socs beat people up, they jumped us greasers for kicks, I knew that better than anyone. But actually killing someone? Killing Ponyboy? It wouldn't make sense.

"Huh?" I said, and he didn't repeat it, but I saw on his face that it was true.

We all went to Pony's house. Soda was a wreck, I mean, they both were, both Soda and Darry, but Soda was unable to contain it and he just kept sobbing. Darry had that blank look on his face, the exact same as when his parents were killed in that car wreck.


	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't crying, I felt too shocked to cry. Ponyboy was dead? It wouldn't make sense to me. I'd never not believed something like I didn't believe this. We were all here. Darry was sitting at the kitchen table, his head down in his hands. Soda was sniffling, the sobs tapering off, his eyes were all wet and red from crying. Dally was scowling in the corner, his hands balled into fists. Two-Bit looked as shocked as me. Steve was scowling, too. His eyes were narrowed to little slits.

None of us said much. Dally and Steve talked about getting revenge. I sat on the edge of the couch and smoked one cigarette after another, making myself feel sick. I couldn't eat. The thought of eating made me want to puke.

"C'mon, Johnny, let's go," Dally said, kind of dragging me up by the collar of my jean jacket. I went with him, at least it was something to do, and I didn't think I could stand being in that house much longer. That was the house I always felt so safe in, the house I went to after the really bad beatings, when I was just so sore and aching all over. But it was too sad now. So I followed Dally out the door.

"That soc that killed Ponyboy, he's gonna get it. I'll beat his head in," he said, and I nodded. I was sure I knew who did it. That guy with the rings. I remembered that time in the lot, those rings slamming against my face, the way the blood felt all warm pouring out of me.

"That was the one that beat me up that time," I said quietly, and Dally looked at me fast, his face a mask of anger.

"What?"

I didn't repeat it, but I saw Dally get that glazed look, and it meant he was remembering, too.

"I'm gonna kill him," Dal said.

The day was all gray, the colors all washed out of everything. I thought about Pony, how he was so good in school and everything, how he was gonna go to college and get out of this terrible run down part of the city. But now he wouldn't do nothing. The socs took it all away, and nothing would happen to them. We all knew that. Their parents' money would make everything okay for them, they'd get a slap on the wrist or something, some community service and that would be it. If it was one of us who had killed them we'd get the electric chair. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

Dally went into some convenience store and stole some cigarettes for something to do. I watched him slip them under his jacket as cool as could be. But the manager started eyeing us anyway, even though he didn't see Dal steal anything. They just thought we were trouble. That wasn't fair, either. Dally was trouble, I guess, but I never stole nothing but they still thought I would just because my hair was long and greasy and I wore the worn down clothes and dressed like a thug. So the manager kicked us out. We went and smoked some of the cigarettes Dally stole.

I kept thinking of Ponyboy, like I wouldn't think of him for a while and then the thought would come back, the thought that he was dead and it was like I'd just heard it, and I felt so bad, almost a real physical pain. How could they do that? Those goddamn socs. It made me so mad that they did that and nothing would happen to them because we didn't matter. Greasers didn't matter.

I didn't know what was worse, being at Ponyboy's house with all that sadness or being out here, having all these people come up to us and talk about it. Everyone had heard about it by now, and it was getting exaggerated. People thought I was there, that they tried to kill me, too, and I had to tell everyone over and over that I wasn't there, I'd gone home. Maybe if I was there none of this would have happened. But what could I do? There was so many of them and they were drunk and so mad. They probably would've killed me, too.

I was tired. I missed Ponyboy. I couldn't believe we'd never talk again, we'd never hang out, we'd never do nothing. I couldn't believe the socs stole all of that from me.


End file.
